Upon What Is Happiness Based?

Listen, despite your doubts and bereavements, all is well. Despite all your disappointments in life, all is well.

Know that you are fortunate in life. Many in your shoes would be happy, very happy. You know that. So I ask you, why would you choose to be dissatisfied with your life when you could just as well look at your life in a beautiful light?

Ask yourself what would make you happy. Do you have an answer to this? No matter how fine your life is, there is something you want and don't have. This seems to be a fact of life in the world.

All people on Earth have objects of desire that they do not yet hold in their hand. Everyone. And many on Earth are desiring differently from each other. Many see their desires as actual needs. Someone needs to lose weight, and someone else needs to gain weight. It is even possible that they would trade each other if they only knew how.

If you could undo a present condition that causes you unhappiness, would this guarantee your happiness? I have to wonder, what unmet desires would you bring up front to be disgruntled about then?

You may not be able to change a situation, such as your car's breaking down. However, your car takes this in its stride. Okay, it broke down. Your car doesn't object strenuously. It doesn't lose heart because it broke down. You might, however. You might be aggravated.

And yet someone who has no car, may be happy anyway. He isn't jumping for joy that he is without a car, yet he doesn't let this interrupt his happiness. He may be grateful for public transportation.

And if he lives in the countryside where there is no public transportation, he is glad for his own two good legs, the fresh air, and exercise.

There is definitely good in having a car. There is definitely good in not having a car.

Wherever you find yourself, there is within your situation something worthwhile. If you can't see the good in it at present, have an idea that the good in it is there and start looking for this good rather than the downside.

Perception lies in the eye of the beholder. Enjoying life lies in the eye of the beholder.

There is plenty to learn from all situations. Certainly, you may not want to learn from certain situations. You don't even want to get anywhere near certain situations, yet situations are not your plight. Your focus on unhappiness is your plight. Let Me repeat this: Your focusing on unhappiness is your plight.

Consider that it could be you were spared from something else. You have heard those stories of someone's missing a flight that crashed. This was most inconvenient, yet now he lives to tell it.

Look, you really don't want to go down the tragedy road. You really want to get out of the tragedy mode. Skip focusing on what happened and all the why's and wherefore's and why not's.

If somebody should hand you a lit hand-grenade, your question isn't why or how could they, is it?

If you are in a jungle, and a ferocious white tiger appears in front of you, you don't go on and on about how such a thing could possibly happen to you, how you never hurt anyone and so build a good case you can make for the unfairness of this pickle you find yourself in.

And, in the scenario of your being the groom at your own wedding and your bride stands you up, you are not to go on and on about how insufferable this is – all the why's and all the how's it's possible that this could happen to you. All the reasons or no reasons at all are simply beside the point.

In the case of the hand-grenade, your question ls: “Where shall I throw this grenade fast and cause the least damage?”

In the case of the ferocious white tiger before you, your question is: “Where can I run to escape the tiger? Or distract him?”

In the case of your bride's skipping your wedding, your question isn't: “How could she do this to me?” or: “How could I be so mistaken?” Your first question belongs to be: “Is my bride all right?” Next: “Did she really stand me up?” And, if she did indeed stand you up, then ask yourself: “How do I exit in good grace with love and without bitterness?”

In the case of a death of a loved one, it is always a shock no matter what. No one is spared what you call death, and, for the most part, all the loving ones who are left behind are not spared grief.

Can you be glad your loved ones had you to love them before and after their passing? And that you knew them and loved them?

There are many facets to diamonds and to life. You have the opportunity to choose where you have not yet chosen.